Victoria: The Novel

I don’t normally review novels here on the Margins.  In fact, I seldom review novels, period.  I read constantly for my work:  Big Fat History Books, erudite (and sometimes not so erudite) articles, the first hand accounts on which Big Fat History Books depend.*  When I read for fun, I read fiction.  I try not…

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Mr. Eiffel Built More Than a Tower

Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, the engineer who designed the Eiffel Tower, reportedly said “I ought to be jealous of the tower.  It is more famous than I am.” It’s probably true.  Eiffel was a world-famous engineer before he made the tower that bears his name, but not for the kind of things that make a man a…

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Supper at Sea in the Age of Sail

This summer I’ve had the pleasure of working with Fen Truitt.  Fen is a student at Trinity College in Dublin.  She’s interested in art, architecture, literature, music, hiking, and history–just for starters.  In short, she fits in well here on the Margins, as you’ll see in the guest blog post below.  (Please note that the…

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